Now, I think this is a GREAT question, but I'm a little confused as what I perceive as your naivete in this particular matter. When I was in school "All" the boys from 13-18 would "talk" about Ms. Andrews the gym teacher! Long story short...No question, Any time! I overheard my 18 yr old son and his friends talking about a teacher at his school, and I'll say 99.9% of all boys have this fantasy. It's not AT ALL about her authority, it's about fantasy. Even though you are right, the authority figure who plays a part in this is responsible, I'll agree, however I highly doubt it was an over riding factor in these boys actions.
Did ONE of these boys say they were raped or taken advantage of by her authority over them? This was all about the PARENTS being pissed and the state bringing charges, which rightfully so they should have.
I'm sorry, but at what point is a consenting adult? The state defines it at age 18. Raise the age to 21 if you think 18 yr olds are too young to be making consensual sex decisions. See, that's a peripheral issue to my whole point. Morally these are children still, but in the states eyes LEGALLY they are adults. Again, if these were 30 yr old men, we would be facing the same issue LEGALLY, but not morally and that's where most of your argument I believe is coming from. I'm not defending what she did was legal, I am saying the punishment for what she did is too obsessive!
Two consenting adults' implies equality, yet the very definition of a student / teacher relationship has an inferior and superior aspect. How does that make the consent of the 2 adults 'equal'?
Because "LAW" dictates they are equal by age. However, the State Of Texas sees this exactly the way you have described as far as sentencing guidelines go, which I think are highly punitive for the nature of the crime.
I never said they were. You're the one who tried to equate the Tennessee rape case with this one.
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Morally these are children still, but in the states eyes LEGALLY they are adults.
While they are 'legal' adults, they are not LAWFUL ones, because with knowledge, consent and full disclosure, the teacher herself agreed they weren't
She KNEW what she was doing was both immoral as well as illegal. Why do you continually act as if the teacher had some kind of inalienable right to bump nasties with high school boys and do so with minimal consequence?
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Because "LAW" dictates they are equal by age. However, the State Of Texas sees this exactly the way you have described as far as sentencing guidelines go, which I think are highly punitive for the nature of the crime.
It apparently will never make sense to you because you fail to understand this is not a general public law applicable to everyone, but a specific contractual law an individual person voluntarily bound herself to be responsible for.
Think what you like.